Mirrored Mayhem
by adsfguy2002
Summary: Set 10 days before the movie. Kat runs into a young teenage girl that reminds her of how she felt at the same age.
1. The woman in the mirror, Chapter 1

10 Things I hate about you.  
  
"The woman in the mirror"  
  
Set 10 days before the movie. Kat runs into a young teenage girl that reminds her of how she felt at the same age.  
  
This is set before the movie, about 10 days before. It's such a fun movie to watch, and I felt like using the characters and extending them in my own way. It doesn't really go anywhere, it was just a fun way of showing my appreciation for the movie. I of course do not own any of the characters, and have nothing to do with the movie at all.  
  
  
  
  
  
Kat Stratford looked in her mailbox. Still no reply, she muttered as she went for her morning run to keep fit for soccer. It had been over a month since she had applied for a place in the Sarah Lawrence College on the other side of the country. If she didn't get in, she had no idea what she was going to do. Maybe she would apply for a University in another country, perhaps Australia. That was far enough away from her father and she would be safe from running into anyone from her school, Padua High. She rolled her eyes at the sheer thought of school, with its brainless students, all products of constant advertising and false messages to try to make them feel better. "Actually, I'll settle for anywhere but here."  
  
  
  
Kat showed no characteristics of what her generation conceived to be womanly as she went for that run. She wore no makeup, she was sweating more than most girls her age had sweat in their life, and the look of fierce determination she had on her face almost made her look like she was scowling, a look which resided on her face practically for the whole six hours she spent every day at school. Her sister Bianca the night before had expressed concern on the premature ageing that the scowling would promote, which in turn made her scowl even more.  
  
  
  
Bianca deserves her own introduction. She doesn't just deserve just that, she deserves a team of psychologists and psychiatrists to work out why she is so mixed up. She, along with the rest of her nitwit friends wastes her life loudly worshipping all that is superficial and meaningless, while people around her are working hard at school, so they can get into College and work towards getting what she takes for granted. Upon looking at the two sisters, one would find it hard to believe the two of them come from the same gene pool, let alone the same solar system.  
  
  
  
As Kat ended her jog, she began stretching on her porch. It was a peaceful, quiet way to start the day. Without her morning run, there was no way she was capable of walking through the schools doors without exploding. She walked indoors, and saw her sister in the kitchen, munching on a carrot, and talking to Chastity, one of her supposed friends, about Joey. Kat gritted her teeth. Out of everyone in the world, she despised Joey the most. If Joey didn't exist, then her life would have been much different. He caused her so much pain, pain she was only getting over, and was now completely ready to move on, in life in general. She was ready.  
  
  
  
As she parked her beat-up car at school, she glanced to the side and saw a guy she vaguely knew, sitting on the hood of his truck, smoking with a plain navy muscle shirt on. Who is he trying to impress, she thought as she slammed her door more violently than she had meant to. "That's the problem with us outcasts, we hate all who are conventional, but at the same time hate each other. Maybe if we banded together we could squish the likes of Joey flat for ever" It was a thought, but not one that lingered. Her time at Padua High was nearly up, so pretty much any way in which she acted could not change things. She sighed as she made her way to her locker.  
  
  
  
First period was English. She was late, as she had been catching up with her friend Mandella. They had organized to go to a concert in a fortnight's time, where one of her favorite bands was playing. It was on a school night, but that didn't bother her much, she'd probably learn more asleep than listening to one of her boring teachers rants. Mr Morgan continued talking about another misogynist writer, once again picked carefully just so it could annoy her. After a macroeconomics class, it was recess, and time for her to satisfy her cravings for a new book. The library was on the other side of the school, which meant she wouldn't see Mandella, which was OK seeing that Mandella was going through another one of her "only ever think and talk about Shakespeare" phases. They usually only went for a week or two, then she reverted back to her normal self, being only partly obsessed with him and his work instead of compulsively talking about it as she was now. Kat went to the library, and walked to the small section with famous workings by women. She was surprised to see another person there, a young girl, probably 15 at the most, looking at a book by one of her favourite authors, Anne D. Bernstein. The girl was just as surprised to see Kat as Kat was to see her.  
  
  
  
"And I thought I was the only one that frequented this place", Kat said.  
  
"I thought the same, judging from the cobwebs and dust everywhere. We're talking about the whole library, right?"  
  
  
  
Kat smiled, and without further ado reached for a book. It was the last she thought of the girl, as she glanced at the blurb of a book about a Chinese- American womans struggle to abide by the strict rules set by her parents, and the even stricter unofficial rules set by her peers. As she walked to borrow the book, she noticed that the girl was wearing sketchers, which surprised her.  
  
  
  
Later that day, she saw the girl again, this time with her friends, which wouldn't have been a problem, except for her choice in friends. Kat did a double take. Her friends were Bianca and Chastity! Kat walked past, and couldn't contain the shocked look on her face, when she heard the girl in a valley accent reply.  
  
"Umm, Chastity? Blue sandals with metal accessories clash heaps..., like are you sure you want to make the "I don't care about fashion" statement or something? 


	2. The woman in the mirror, Chapter 2

Ten things I hate about you.  
  
"The woman in the mirror, Chapter 2"  
  
It was dinner time at the Stratfords. Bianca was wailing at their father again, which was hard for Kat tune out of. She turned the page of her book, and continued reading. Well, attempting to read described it best. The girl she'd spoken to intrigued her. How she managed to act like that, yet still read Anne D. Bernstein had got her thinking. It was the same thing she had done the few months before and after her Mom had left. She'd tried to please everyone, and act how people wanted her to, while living what felt like a double life. It had had a hideous outcome, with her not being able to stand up to Joey on a very sensitive subject. She put her book down, and cut her sister off while she was in mid sentence. Her voice was unusually calm, as normally when addressing her sister it was stressed.  
  
"Bianca, that girl with you and Chastity today, who was she?"  
  
"Oh great, now you want to move on to terrorizing my friends, instead of my future boyfriend Joey?"  
  
"Joey?? Who is Joey? And why do you think you should go out with him? He'll make you pregnant! Kat, who is Joey?"  
  
"Daddy! Joey is noone!"  
  
"Anyway, back to the girl that was with Chastity and you"  
  
"Her names Close. Satisfied?"  
  
"And she's in you class?"  
  
"Well, yeah my French one. She's pretty cool, she lived there for a while y'know?"  
  
"No I didn't know."  
  
Kat stabbed the remaining asparagus on her plate with her fork, popped it in her mouth, and left the table.  
  
  
  
Kat was running up the hill, harder and faster than she ever had. The scowl on her face was so menacing, anyone watching would have thought she was running to kill someone. Her mind was racing almost as much as her body was. She decided to try to find Close that day, and work out just a little more about her. She went home, showered, grabbed a pop-tart and walked to her car.  
  
  
  
That guy was there again. Was he waiting for her? He couldn't be, he probably just enjoyed shortening his life while at the same time denting his cars bonnet. Then it hit her. He parked on the first spot outside the school. It meant the school could not punish him for smoking. "So much for that theory", she thought as she drove the car into the school grounds. She of course didn't want him thinking that she was deliberately parking next to him.  
  
  
  
Kat actually forgot about Close for most of the day. She was too busy trying to explain to Mandella that her potato chip did not resemble Shakespeare in any way, or she was too busy getting stuck in to Mr Morgan for his pigheaded views, or sticking a foot out to trip up Joey, something that got her sent to Ms. Perky's office. She waited outside her office in the foyer, feeling not at all nervous but more bored, and annoyed that Joey hadn't broken his nose or jaw, he had only attained a blood nose. Better luck next time, she thought, which brought a smile to her face. She was called into the office, just as that guy left her office. He caught his name this time, Pat. He had an Australian accent. She wondered if all Australian guys were that good looking, but Ms Perky snapped her out of it.  
  
"Kat and Pat. My two most troublesome students. What is it today? Broken bones? Balls kicked? Or did you hurt kittens?  
  
"I would never hurt something as smart as a kitten."  
  
"Well you can go. Nothing I say is going to change the way you act is it?"  
  
"Oh Ms Perky, you know I hang on your every word."  
  
"Good. Then scoot. I have a story to write."  
  
Kat decided to skip macroeconomics and go to the library. She'd stayed up late finishing the book, and wanted to see if the author had written any others. Close was also at the back of her mind. To her surprise Close was there, this time sitting at a desk with work in front of her, while reading Arthur Millers "The Crucible" Kat walked straight over, and in her direct way sat down on the opposite side of the table and waited for Close to see her. 


	3. The woman in the mirror, Chapter 3

Ten things I hate about you.  
  
"The woman in the mirror, Chapter 3"  
  
Close looked up from her book. She saw the girl that she'd spoken to yesterday, and was quite puzzled as to why she was staring directly at her for no apparent reason. Close smiled at her and went back to her book, but she had the feeling that the girl wanted something.  
  
  
  
"Umm, hey. Come to dust off the cobwebs again?"  
  
"Why do you do it?"  
  
"You mean dust?" Close joked around, trying to lighten up the conversation, which seemed to be getting all the stranger, seeing that she didn't even know the girls name."  
  
"Umm, Bianca, like these shoes are so totally fashionable!" Kat put on the act which she herself had used... right up until she'd had enough of pleasing everyone else.  
  
"Oh, you know Bianca? Well yeah, its kinda fun, y'know? Well at least it gets me invited to parties and movies. Last time I checked Bernsteins books didn't make many friends."  
  
"You don't have to put up with their shit. You don't have to put up with anyones shit. Just remember that." Kat was trying desperately to push her point.  
  
"I know that, and I don't, its just, well sometimes I feel alone. It's like I have to choose between spending my teenage years true to myself, and loner, or act how they want, and have friends and support."  
  
"Oh they're supportive alright... just as long as you act exactly like them, and hang on their every word. And trust me, you're never alone. There's a whole world out there, you just have to find your place in it. If you like writing, go online and write a story, find people like you, and most of all, do what you want, even if its different to what other people want you to do."  
  
"Do you regret acting the way you do?"  
  
"Believe me, at least you won't stay up all night pacing the room, feeling like a sell-out, like my sister sometimes does."  
  
"You have a sister"  
  
"Yeah, you know her. Bianca."  
  
  
  
Now it was Close's turn for the double take. The two of them are so different, she thought. But as she thought about it more, she decided that maybe they weren't. They were doing their own thing, and in the way they wanted. The difference was that while Bianca rated friends and popularity as most important, Kat believed in maintaining dignity. She could see both sides of the argument, and both ways seemed equally as depressing.  
  
  
  
"Well perhaps its possible to be both ways. Popular and true to yourself"  
  
"Close, you know that's bullshit. It's either their way or no way. Believe me, I tried it. It doesn't work."  
  
"So what are you saying? Lock myself in a basement with nothing but books for company?"  
  
"No. Just be careful. Stay true to who you are. If they can't accept it, then find new friends."  
  
"Y'know, you and Bianca are more similar than you think."  
  
"I've never heard anything more offensive in my life."  
  
  
  
Kat smiled. She'd said all she needed to. She was pretty sure she'd got through to her. She said bye, then went to return her book. The next few weeks were the busiest of Kats entire life. She got to know Pat a whole lot better, she saw Bianca mature more than she thought humanly possible, and Bianca also got over Joey gained herself a human boyfriend in the process. Kat was accepted into Sarah Lawrence College, which she couldn't wait for. Bianca had changed, but the funny thing was, now her and Close were best of friends. It was quite funny really, one minute they would be talking spring fashions, the next minute they would be talking about world issues or a book they'd read. It was like flicking between the movie Clueless, the news, and Oprah's book club.  
  
Kat knew that Bianca had found herself a real friend.  
  
THE END.  
  
  
  
So what did you think? Please review! Any tips with grammar, spelling, or any ideas to change it will be much appreciated. 


End file.
